Dead Sea Scrolls: Judaism and Christianity - Essay Example

Dead Sea Scrolls: Judaism and Christianity Introduction The Dead Sea scrolls got discovered on the shores of the Dead Sea from which they acquired their name the Dead Sea scrolls. The discovery of these scrolls got seen as the most fundamental religious archeological discovery. The scrolls have helped people gain more understanding on the forms of Judaism and Christianity that existed after the second temple period. Information on the nature of Judaism religion can be easily accessed with the nature of religion as a monolithic religion put in question. This can be attributed to the content of the scrolls which indicate a religion that was far from being monolithic. This paper seeks to discuss how the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls impacted on people’s understanding of Judaism and Christianity that existed after the second temple period. Impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls The second temple period was the period after the Israelites came from exile in Babylon. After the exile, the temple in Jerusalem got built again to retain the city as a center of religious activities (Peters 43). This led to the period that followed the building of this temple to be referred as the second temple period. Before the Dead Sea scrolls got discovered, information on the nature of Christianity and Judaism in this era was mostly available from the Bible. The scrolls, however, served to confirm some of the information previously available while contrasting some of this information. According to information obtained from the scrolls, the Dead Sea scrolls got written during the period between the 2nd century BCE and 2nd century CE. Most scholars believe that the scriptures got written by the Essenes, a sect in the Jewish community. During the time when this scrolls got written, Judean groups struggled to acquire and sustain both religious and political leadership. The scrolls, therefore, acted as primary sources on how the Jewish related to the outside world during the second temple period. The Jewish religious life, from these scrolls, gets depicted as both diverse and complex. One aspect of these scrolls that make them so fundamental is that most of the Jewish religious practices described in these scrolls, resurface later in Jewish and Christian scriptures. This serves as a proof that the religious activities could have been indeed practiced by the Jews (Peters 45). As pointed earlier, before these scrolls got discovered, second temple Judea got viewed as a monolithic civilization. Earlier scholars always believed that this idea of a monolithic society got uniformly supported by earlier sources. These sources included Josephus Flavius, the New Testament Gospels as well as rabbinic scriptures (Peters 46). However, these scriptures provided a view of diversity in regard to the second temple Judea which can now be identified and supported by the Dead Sea scrolls. The scrolls refer to several Jewish sects such as the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes. One purpose served by these scrolls is that they clarify people’s understanding of the Jewish sects. This includes their contrasting world views and practices. However, all the sects in the Jewish community seemed to agree on the centrality of the Bible. The Bible got viewed as the most fundamental religious scripture by all the sects that formed the Jewish community. This was despite the fact that the sects differed on other concepts of sacred literature. Consequently, the non-biblical scriptures indicated varying discrepancies. Each sect interpreted the scriptures with a different approach from the other sects. Despite these differences, each sect respected and followed its interpretation of the scriptures (Peters 48). The Essenes were the strictest of these sects in regard to the observance of the law. This could be partially associated to the aspect that a large group of this sect had retreated to the wilderness. The differing religious scriptures indicate disputes about religious issues such as the temple and priesthood. The Sadducees interpreted the scriptures in a more literal way than the Pharisees. From these scrolls, the Sadducees dominated the temple and the religious rites associated with it. The only precepts recognized by the Sadducees were those directly derived from the Torah. As a result, this sect refuted the concept of immortality of the soul as it did not go in hand with the teachings from the Torah. The sect further did not believe in the existence of angels and were consequently unpopular among the common people. The Pharisees, unlike the Sadducees, were keen in observing both the oral and the written law. The sect was flexible and willing to adapt to varying circumstances in regard to application of the law. The Pharisees believed in life after death. As a result, the sect believed that all the dead will one day resurrect. The Essenes got regarded as a separatist sect. Most of People from this sect retreated to the wilderness of Judea and formed a monastic community (Peters 50). They, however, shared material possessions, got committed to work and observed worship and other religious activities. The sects further differed in their beliefs on the religious calendar. This provided further discrepancies in their religious activities. Another theme found in these scrolls is the theme of apocalypticism. Apocalytpticism in the second temple period formed a remarkable influence on the politics and ethics of the Judaism. Consequently, some scholars view Christianity as a religion that got born from Jewish apocalypticism. Jewish apocalypticism has been argued by some scholars as a result of interactions with Persians. According to the information provided by the scrolls, Hebrew prophecy was one of the fundamental foundations of the Jewish apocalypticism (Peters 53). Jewish apocalypticism points to the final struggle against evil and God’s judgment. This information, though, provided in most of the Old Testament books; provide an insightful understanding to readers on the concept of apocalypticism in Judaism and Christianity during the second temple period. The scrolls further address the crisis that led to the Essenes getting segregated from the mainstream Judaism. This segregation gets believed to have taken when the Maccabean princes Jonathan and Simeon took over the office of the high priest. Most of the Essenes could not put up with these two rulers and consequently denounced them. As a way of separating themselves from these perverse men, most of the Essenes retreated to the deserts. Consequently, the sect lost most of its relation with the Jewish community. The Essenes’ calendar got based on the solar system which further indicated the discrepancies in beliefs held by the three main sects of Judaism. The calendar of the Essenes consisted of 364 which was unlike that of the common Jews which was lunar and consisted 365 days. However, it still remains unclear how the sectarian got reconciled. The calendar started on a Wednesday, the day in which it got believed God created the luminaries. All the festivals in this calendar constantly fell into the same day of the week. It is equally worth noting that most of the scriptures in these scrolls that describe the Essenes seek to establish whom the sect believed they were. However, the contents of these scrolls have not always served to benefit Christianity, according to some scholars. In their documentary, the Dead Sea scrolls deception Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh argue that the driving factor why most of the scrolls have been suppressed is the fear by the Vatican that these scrolls may damage Christianity (Peters 56). Some scholars have, however, opposed this notion arguing that the scrolls can best serve to improve understanding of early Christianity. John Allegro at one point wrote to John Strugnell telling him that if the analysis and interpretation of these scrolls continues, there may be no religion such as Christianity in the near future. However, the effect of this analysis and interpretation remains to be realized fully. This illustrates the mixture of reaction that resulted from the discovery of the scrolls. Some scholars continue to hold that these scrolls pose a threat to Christianity. Others believe that the scrolls are fundamental to a better understanding of the religion’s history. While the debate over their importance does not promise to end any time soon, the scrolls can be seen to have had profound importance already to Christianity. One of the importances of these scrolls has been confirmation of the previously available scriptures. Most scholars have in several cases referred to this as the most fundamental impact of these scrolls on Christianity. Conclusion The discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls was one of the most fundamental religious discoveries. Although debate over the scrolls continues to spark varying opinions, the scrolls have played a vital role in relating the previously available information on the second temple period with the new information provided in these scrolls. This information has contrasted with the previous information that depicted Judaism during this period as a monolithic religion. The scrolls divide Judea into three main sects which are the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes. Each of these sects differed from the others in most of their religious beliefs and practices. One can conclude, therefore, despite the apparent threat these scrolls may seem to pose to Christianity as a religion, their impact on the religion should not be underestimated. Works Cited Peters, Dorothy M. Noah Traditions in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Conversations and Controversies of Antiquity. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2008. Print. Read More